"I read your book." | Sung J. Woo

19 Responses to “Bio”

1.   Jennifer Driscoll Marron Says:
   April 14th, 2009 at 2:49 pm

   Hey Sung- Congrats on the publication of your novel. I am reading some of your stuff here and absolutely LOVING it! I KNOW that both my brother and my best friend will certainly appreciate the humor and frankness of your voice.
   Best Wishes- I’ll try to be at the Borders next weekend to hear your reading. Jennifer
   ps- although I’ve always lived in NJ, the Peddlers Village holds fond memories of childhood for me too!

2.   Judith Skully Says:
   April 30th, 2009 at 2:08 pm

   I am reading Everything Asian right now and am enjoying it immensely! I am in the opposite position of someone coming to the United States–I’m reading it with the perspective of having a daughter in her third year of living in Seoul, South Korea. She keeps mentioning kimchi which I can’t even fathom eating–and I know she has Children’s Day off this coming Tuesday! (She’s teaching English at a school there). I will enjoy the rest of the book and will look for more of your writing. Thanks

3.   Sung Says:
   May 1st, 2009 at 6:04 pm

   Thanks, Judith! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it. I don’t know if I’ll ever get over America not having Children’s Day. It’s just sad…

   - Sung

4.   Karen Says:
   June 5th, 2009 at 9:01 pm

   The best debut novel I’ve read since…well, since ever. I had no idea it was your debut novel until I glanced at the blurbs on the cover. Wonderful writing, wonderful characters. Well done.

5.   Sung Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 3:15 pm

   @Karen — You are entirely too kind. I’m in Ithaca, NY, for the weekend, to attend my reunion and sell the book at the campus store. A girl who must’ve been ten or twelve came up and actually convinced her mother to buy her my book, so hopefully she’ll enjoy it as much as you did. Thanks for being a reader!

6.   Alicia Says:
   June 30th, 2009 at 8:57 pm

   Wonderful novel! When I finished the book, I missed David, Susan, Emma and even Harry. Being half-Korean, it was a treat to slip into a book with experiences that were similar to mine…any sequels planned?

7.   Sung Says:
   July 2nd, 2009 at 7:09 am

   @Alicia,

   Thanks for your kind words. Not exactly a sequel, but I am currently working on novel #2, which features a pair of Korean-American siblings in their early forties/late thirties. Not exactly certain where it’ll all lead, but that’s the fun of it (at least this is what I tell myself to keep going!).

8.   Peter Says:
   August 14th, 2009 at 9:50 pm

   I just finished “Everything Asian” literally 2 minutes ago and loved it! I started reading it at work (Borders) and it elicited a few giggles from my coworkers (who already think I’m a walking stereotype) but this time I didn’t care because I really enjoyed it. I hope you write more soon!

9.   Sung Says:
   August 16th, 2009 at 7:32 pm

   Hey Peter,

   I’m so glad you enjoyed it. That’s my #1 goal for writing — to keep readers entertained. It’s the least I can do for the time you take to read it.

   Book #2 is in progress. Nothing would make me happier than getting through it faster, but man, it is what it is. Gotta get my nose back to the grindstone…

10.   Jane Says:
    October 8th, 2009 at 3:36 pm

    Really enjoyed EVERYTHING ASIAN.
    From the Parent of a Cornell Arts and Sciences Class of 2010 student

11.   Sung Says:
    October 10th, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    I’m glad you enjoyed it, Jane. I enjoyed writing it! I’ll be in the vicinity of Ithaca in a couple of weeks, when I head over to Wells College for a reading. Driving up I-81 during this time of the year was something I looked forward to when I attended Cornell — the foliage is just incredible!

12.   Nancy Says:
    October 17th, 2009 at 9:21 am

    I really enjoyed your book! I learned so much about the Korean culture from the stories. I was wondering if Peddlers Town ever really existed. Looking forward to your next book.

13.   Sung Says:
    October 17th, 2009 at 9:55 am

    Dear Nancy,

    Thanks for liking the book! Peddlers Town did indeed exist — it was called Peddlers Village. You can find out more about the back story of the book right here.

    I’m about halfway through book number two. Wish me luck!

    - Sung

14.   Jane Says:
    February 12th, 2010 at 8:43 pm

    I went to this really strange “Mom and Pop” Asian store at the cheesy Great Lakes Crossing Mall in Michigan today looking for Year of the Tiger stuff. They had nothing… They barely spoke English but said their Chinese New Year stuff had not arrived yet. The whole family was there. I bought Happy Cat stickers and (Made in Japan) wooden sticks with Chinese decorations on them as I could NOT leave empty-handed. EVERYTHING ASIAN so came to mind, it was not even funny… East Meets West! To me, the sign of a great book is when it continues to “speak” to you long after you have read it. I read your book in October and commented on October 8th. I rest my case, here on February 12th. I really liked that book, A LOT! Best Wishes in The Year of the Tiger… I know you are NOT Chinese but all of these mixed metaphors are meant with all good wishes! With a smile, The Cornell Mom

15.   Sung Says:
    February 13th, 2010 at 4:22 pm

    Jane, there’s no greater compliment for an author than to have a reader remember your work, so thank you, thank you, thank you. You made my day!

16.   Jayme Says:
    March 1st, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    Mr. Woo, I really enjoyed reading your novel Everything Asian. Not only did I learn allot about the immigrant experience, being a Native born U.S. citizen and non-Korean, this was one of the funniest novels I’ve ever encountered! I did have a question about the way your characters were introduced and I hope you can share your thoughts with me.

    I noticed that characters, which I assume are “white”, are never introduced as such. I make this assumption because all of the other characters are identified as non-white. For example: Joon-a’s three friends (p.41) not named; the bad boy in the store and his mother (p.55-59), although we are told he had blue eyes. The woman who owns A Touch of Asia (p.72) her race is not named. John Reeves (p.65) the instructor is not named but the students in the class are named – Asian, black and Indian (p.165).
    Arnold, from the TV show, is described as “the little black kid” yet when Three’s Company is mentioned the whiteness of its cast is are not mentioned (p.109).

    Other examples a “Latino man” is mentioned (p.43) an “old black lady” (p.72), a “Chinese women” (p.85) then there is someone described as an “American women” (p.85) is this a white person white? Is there a reason that only non-whites are identified? The way the characters are introduced assumes a white normatively is that your intention? Again it was a great read!

17.   Sung Says:
    March 4th, 2010 at 9:30 am

    Dear Jayme,

    I’m so glad you found the book to be funny. It’s not something I actively tried to do, but I think there are moments of chuckle-worthiness, so I’m very thankful for that.

    As per your question about the lack of identification for white folks, honestly, I had no idea that I did that. I suppose you are correct, that I’m considering white Americans to be the “default” race and did not mention it. Strange, isn’t it? I never would’ve even given it a thought until you brought it up.

    - Sung

18.   HK Says:
    March 19th, 2010 at 7:36 pm

    Hi Sung,
    Haven’t had a chance to read your book but will try to get it soon. But I read the 2 NYTimes articles and wow, really wonderful to see what you’d written. I understand man and it was put out there so nicely.
    I have 2 daughters who are 1/2 KA and they know all about Korean Americans through me their mom but haven’t had many other occasions to have this experience since we live outside of the US. So I’ll work on getting the book for them as well.
    Another KA experience for them has been watching DVDs of the Gilmore Girls TV series.
    Thanks.

19.   Sung Says:
    March 23rd, 2010 at 7:45 pm

    Dear HK,

    I can’t tell you how nice to have people who’ve gone through similar experiences see their own lives in my book. It’s one of the reason why I wrote it, so to actually have that effect — well, I can’t ask for anything more. Thanks for being a reader!

    - Sung

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